Alfred Kärcher SE & Co. KG

Ströer is one of the leading German media companies with locations throughout Germany and is listed on the MDAX of the German Stock Exchange. Ströer operates a business model that is unique in the German media landscape: combining the business segments of outdoor advertising (out-of-home), digital media and dialogue marketing as well as e-commerce and digital as a service (DaaS) offerings. This comprehensive approach, known as the OOH-plus strategy, enables Ströer to provide advertising customers with individualized and fully integrated, end-to-end solutions along the entire marketing journey. Ströer markets and operates around 300,000 media offerings in the out-of-home sector, including traditional advertising pillars, billboards, city light posters, mega lights, and more than 7,000 digital public video screens across Germany. In the digital segment, Ströer manages over 250 renowned digital media brands and thematic channels, including t-online (Germany's largest digital reach), watson, and numerous special interest portals. The company's portfolio also includes asambeauty (cosmetics e-commerce) and Statista (business data as a service). In fiscal year 2024, Ströer generated revenue of 2.05 billion euros, employing approximately 11,850 people nationwide.

In 1835, a small book publisher was founded with a simple but powerful insight: that creativity and entrepreneurial spirit could build something lasting. What began as a local publishing house in Germany has evolved over nearly two centuries into Bertelsmann, an international media, services, and education powerhouse. The founders recognized early on that empowering creative minds would be the key to their success - a philosophy that still guides the company today. Today, Bertelsmann stands as a global group with diverse divisions including RTL Group, Penguin Random House, BMG, Arvato, Bertelsmann Marketing Services, Bertelsmann Education Group, and Bertelsmann Investments. With well over 80,000 employees across approximately 50 countries, the company continues to champion personal initiative and creative thinking. Every day, people at Bertelsmann have the opportunity to shape their own careers, creating paths that grow with them while contributing to an organization that has been the home of creative entrepreneurs for nearly 200 years.

Breuninger is one of Europe's leading multichannel department stores, setting standards in fashion, beauty and lifestyle for over 140 years. Founded in 1881 by Eduard Breuninger with just three employees, the Stuttgart-based company has grown into a premier destination for luxury fashion and premium brands. Today, Breuninger operates 13 stores across Germany and Luxembourg, complemented by a sophisticated online shop serving customers in 10 European markets. With 6,500 passionate employees, Breuninger offers an extensive curated selection of over 1,500 international designer brands and emerging labels, including Gucci, Burberry, Dolce & Gabbana, and Saint Laurent. The stores transcend traditional retail by integrating fashion with gastronomy and culture - featuring 25 restaurants, bars and confectioneries, personal shopping services, and beauty salons. This holistic approach creates immersive experiences where customers can discover everything from high-end womenswear and menswear to beauty products, accessories, and home living items, all while enjoying exceptional service in inspiring environments.

We're a global technology company that's been at the forefront of motion technology for over 75 years, founded by brothers Dr. Wilhelm and Dr.-Ing. E.h. Georg Schaeffler in 1946. What started as a vision in Herzogenaurach has grown into a worldwide team of around 82,800 people, all working to make mobility more efficient, sustainable, and innovative. We partner with major automobile manufacturers and serve aerospace and industrial sectors, developing precision products that keep the world moving. Our work spans across automotive technologies - powertrain, chassis, e-mobility, and vehicle lifetime solutions - as well as industrial bearing solutions and robotics. The recent merger with Vitesco in October 2024 marks an exciting chapter as we become an even stronger motion technology company. Beyond the technical work, we invest heavily in our people through the Schaeffler Academy, offer flexible working arrangements, and maintain the culture of a family-owned business while operating on a global scale.

Schwarz IT is the technological heartbeat of the Schwarz Group, one of the world's leading retail organizations with over 575,000 employees and 13,900 stores across more than 30 countries. With annual revenue exceeding 167 billion euros, Schwarz IT manages the entire digital infrastructure and software solutions for the Group's retail divisions Lidl and Kaufland, as well as Schwarz Produktion, PreZero, and Schwarz Digits. The company has established itself as one of Germany's largest IT players, covering the complete food value chain through state-of-the-art digital solutions and services. Operating from multiple international locations including Germany, Spain, Bulgaria, and Romania, Schwarz IT delivers comprehensive IT expertise spanning classic software development, IT consulting, artificial intelligence applications, and IT security. The organization employs a solution-driven approach built on partnership, ownership, vision-driven innovation, and enthusiasm. Schwarz IT manages critical technology platforms including SAP systems, Microsoft Azure cloud infrastructure, STACKIT (the European sovereign cloud), and enterprise security platforms. The company serves as the backbone for one of Europe's largest retail groups, processing operations for 6 billion customers while maintaining excellence in quality, stability, and cost-effectiveness.

HBK was formed in 2019 through the merger of two market-leading organizations: HBM and Brüel & Kjær, both with over 80 years of combined experience in precision measurement. The company specializes in test and measurement solutions for sound, vibration, electrical, and mechanical quantities. HBK provides the entire measurement chain - from sensors and transducers to data acquisition systems, analysis software, and simulation tools - uniting the physical world of testing with digital simulation and analysis. Their integrated solutions help customers cut time-to-market by simultaneously performing tests, retrieving and analyzing data to aid decision-making. With a global presence spanning over 30 countries, HBK serves industries including automotive, aerospace, defence, energy, manufacturing, and audio. The company's expertise covers the complete product physics domain, with Brüel & Kjær as the frequency domain expert and HBM as the time domain expert. HBK's comprehensive portfolio includes renowned load cells, strain gauges, transducers, microphones, power analyzers, vibration testing equipment, and specialized software like nCode for durability analysis and ReliaSoft for reliability engineering. The company employs 1,001-5,000 people worldwide and maintains its headquarters in London, United Kingdom, with major operations in Darmstadt, Germany and Virum, Denmark.